Falling from Grace
by hiraikoneko
Summary: The UA isn't the only school in the world teaching kids to become heroes. In the far northern reaches of Canada lays the NABSTI. A school where teenagers are selectively chosen for their potential, and taught to become the heroes they were destined to be. But sometimes...sometimes there's a rotten apple in the bunch, and it spreads to everything that touches it. OCs, M for language
1. A Bright and Shining Future

**Authors' Notes**

 _ **Hey everyone! My dear friend Kryptotheurgy and I have spent the past couple days binge-watching BNHA once again, and felt like working on our fic Falling From Grace, but decided it needed a fresh start, so we've decided to restart the fic!  
**_

 _ **As A warning, you won't see much of the anime in this fic. The two of us decided to play with the world instead and make a crapton of OCs. There will be some interaction with the UA and what not but...for the most part, this is just us playing with the world.**_

 _ **Ah. Enjoy, and let us know what you thinking?**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: We own only our OCs, the plot of this story, the NABSTI...**_

* * *

 **One: A Bright and Shining Future**

The North American Boarding School for Talented Individuals, NABSTI, was the most renowned school in North America for people with 'Talents'. In some countries, they were called Quirks, or Gifts. Either way, everyone with a power wanted to go to NABSTI. It was a dream all children shared. They would always exclaim how they would go to NABSTI, or U.A, or any of the other top fifty Talent schools.

The only problem with getting into NABSTI is that there's no 'entrance exam', no way to get in. No, they would come to you. They'd send scouts all over the continent and beyond to search for aspiring and promising students. NABSTI boasted a population of half a million, and sprawled all over the Amund Ringnes Island in northern Canada. Begging, good marks, and amazing Talents wouldn't be enough for students to get an invite in the mail.

* * *

The television babbled over the latest fashion trend, trying to tear apart celebrities for their life choices. It had been an hour of mindlessly watching the pixels dart around to the next dress colour. That was how she had spent her summer break. It was literally doing nothing but see through the eyes of others and sleep. The couch had her imprint by now. She gobbled down her soda. _This_ was how kids were meant to live!

"Pey? PEY! Where are you?"

"Downstairs mom."

Her mother sounded exhausted, but it wasn't unusual. She ran a yoga gym down the road and was well acquainted with fatigue. Soon, Pey heard the familiar stomp of her mother's sneakers down the stairs. She had a grin stretched across her face. Pey adjusted herself up from lounging on the couch, and was sure to cover the bag of chips on the floor. She turned her attention back to the television.

"Pey! I have a letter for you! Read it, read it!"

Before she could react, a large manila envelope was dumped on her chest. It was pristine and gleamed with a crimson wax seal. Earlier, when Pey had possessed her cat, she noticed the mailman delivering more mail than normal. She hadn't thought that one would be for her. Her mother's expression baffled her on what it could be. Did she win a prize? Blatantly ignoring the wax seal, she tore through the paper. It read:

 _Dear Pey Devi,_

 _It is with the utmost pleasure that we, the board office of The North American Boarding School for Talented Individuals, would invite you to be a part of our school body. You were scouted out by Herishen Daidjul. The…._

It went on, explaining the location, contacts, and all other boring information. Pey's frozen face looked back up at her mom, and down at the page. There was nothing to suggest that it was a joke, no gimmicks or anything. This was the real deal.

Her mother broke her train of thought with a tight hug and laughter.

"They called me earlier and I got it arranged. You're going to NABSTI! I never thought our dreams would come true! Tonight I'm calling the family over, next week, we'll have a big feast! All 34 families!"

Tears began to pour out of Pey's eyes. She didn't feel overjoyed, not _that_ much, but she cried regardlessly. It was amazing, like winning the lottery. In four years, she was going to be famous! The world would know her name!

* * *

The room was dark. Light poured in through the open doorway from the hall, illuminating a small sliver of the figure across from the teen. In the darkness, he could see the outline of a tall, imposing man seated in a throne-like chair. The light glinted off the man's ring as he gestured towards the boy. At the motion, the teen approached.

"Vincenzo, my youngest son," the man spoke, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence.

"Yeah, what ya want?" his tone was rude, and he could tell it bothered the men positioned around the room from the way they shifted. Like they wanted to hit him.

His father only laughed, "My son, I've called you here because your mother and I have made an important decision. In the fall, it's been decided that you'll be going to the NABSTI in Canada. I've spoken with some of my... _friends_ up there, and it's been arranged-"

Rage, confusion and a touch of rejection bubbled under the surface as the teen cut off his father, "Wait, waitwaitwait. Ya can't be serious. You're sending me up to the middle of nowhere? Why?"

"Vincenzo, someday when you're old enough to join in the family.. _.business_ , you'll learn just how easy it is to make enemies. Unfortunately, some of my enemies have made threats against our family. I'm sending you to the NABSTI where I know you'll be safe from harm."

"Why am I the only one? Why aren't Rob, Rapina and Mariolo being sent there too?"

His father was silent, and he could hear the men around the room all shift awkwardly, "'Enzo...your siblings are all older than you, and better equipped to protect themselves...You've yet to master your own Talent and...ah...yeah."

The son stared at his father for a moment, trying not to show the shame he felt at that words. It was true. Unlike his siblings, Vincenzo could barely use his Talent. His siblings had learned to use theirs in combat situations years ago. He knew he should be thankful his father had gone through all this effort. It must have taken to sneak him into somewhere like NABSTI.

Besides...maybe if he went to NABSTI, he'd be able to become a hero, like he always wanted?

The teen gave a frustrated sigh, "Fine. It's not like you're wrong..and it isn't like I have a choice."

* * *

The so called 'Talentless' teacher of NABSTI, Donith Avadarchi, remained silent as he took in the chaos around him. He hadn't quite been sure what to expect when he was sent to the the small, but well cared for house where one of the incoming students lived to deliver their acceptance letter and answer any questions the family might have. It was a common practice for students who were more...isolated.

This certainly wasn't what he'd expected.

While outside the house appeared normal enough, inside it was...it looked as though a bar full of villains had crashed a school field trip and had proceeded to duke it out with several high-profile superheroes.

Paint splattered the walls, broken fragments of plates, cups and other household items were carelessly swept to the side, and furniture was haphazardly thrown around, and this was only what he could see in the living room. Somewhere within the house, he could hear someone screaming bloody murder.

A woman with her back turned towards the door had answered, cheerfully inviting him inside. He'd regrettably accepted, and allowed her to show him to a seat. Within seconds, he'd been handed a cup of tea, and the woman seated herself (thankfully the right way forward) in a chair across from him.

"OI! WE'VE GOT COMPANY! GET OUT HERE!" The woman, Denatura, yelled loudly down the hallway leading further into the house. She then spoke in a much gentler, quieter tone to Donith, "My husband and daughter will be here shortly."

The screaming paused for an instant, like whoever was responsible had stopped to take a breath, before it started up again.

The brown-haired, brown-eyed man took a second to examine the woman. He often tried to figure out people's Quirks based on their appearance. Sometimes it was fairly easy to tell.

The woman appeared dangerously thin, with long, skinny limbs. She towered over Donith (who was not a short man, nearly six and a half feet tall) by at least a foot. She had lavender hair, tied back into a comfortable bun and magenta eyes that seemed to glow. The light they gave off was interrupted only by the woman's diamond-shaped pupils. She was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt, which hung off of her thin form.

The screaming stopped, and this time did not begin again.

"So, Mr. Avadarchi, might I ask why exactly you're here?" Denatura Law asked.

Before the man could respond, movement down the hallway caught his attention as the rest of the small family appeared. Restrange Law was shorter than his wife, but still a few inches taller than Donith. He had a regal presence, long pale blond hair tied in a low ponytail, and a guarded expression made of aristocratic features. The father's golden eyes stared Donith down as he approached. Despite the pupils of his eyes being distinctly heart-shaped, there was nothing cutesy or loving in the man's gaze.

The teacher could see what appeared to be a floating box shimmering behind the strict looking man, who walked ever closer with his back straight and in perfect posture. Within the box, the purpose for his visit to this strange household sat.

Her arms pounded against the walls of the floating box she was trapped inside before her eyes landed on him and she froze, suddenly relaxing and sitting there like she was perfectly fine and that being carried like this, trapped in a box, was an everyday occurrence.

The girl had her mother's lavender hair, and a build more similar to her father's. Her left eye was the glowing magenta of her mother, complete with a diamond shaped pupil, while the left was the same shade of piercing gold accompanied by a heart-like pupil that her father possessed. She wore what appeared to be pajamas that had been splattered with every colour under the sun and there was a single sock on her left foot, and nothing on her right.

Restrange snapped his fingers, releasing the girl from the box. She landed with a quiet 'oof' on the floor, but showed no outward sign of discontent.

"And for the last time, my little nut," Restrange said, looking down at the girl, one Altera Law, with a suddenly warm expression, "we aren't buying you a camel. They spit much too much. Why don't we try to get a another shark instead? I haven't bought anything dangerous in so long…"

The teen giggled, "Fine. Whatever you want, father."

Standing, the man decided to introduce himself. The sooner he gave them the news, the sooner he could leave.

"My name is Donith Avadarchi and I'm a teacher from NABSTI. I'm here to deliver this acceptance letter to Miss Altera Law."

The teen stared at him in shock, not moving to take the letter he held out to her. Her father took it instead, gently prying the envelope open. He read the contents out loud,

 _Dear Altera Law,_

 _It is with the utmost pleasure that we, the board office of The North American Boarding School for Talented Individuals, would invite you to be a part of our school body. You were scouted out by Alison Hatter. The…._

By the time he was finished, Altera still appeared to be frozen in shock.

Upon learning the family had no questions for him, Donith sighed, "Well, I must be heading out now. Many more houses to visit today."

"Of course, thank you so, so much for accepting our daughter." Denatura said, shaking his hand. Restrange followed suit before Donith made his way out of the house. Just before he left, he heard a quiet voice.

"Crikey."

The teacher made his way down the driveway, hoping there wasn't too much sand in his truck by this point. He also prayed that the next four years teaching Altera Law weren't as strange as the last half hour had been.

* * *

Cloverfield, USA was practically a ghost town. There were three hundred people in it, last time the welcome sign got updated. It was probably less than that. No one with even half a brain would stay in such a sad place. At least, that's what Felix's older brother said, anyways. Felix Cloverfield, great-great grandchild of the founder of Cloverfield, had high respect for his town. He cared for the land and the land cared for him. He and his family worked hard on the farm sunrise to sundown, and that was all he wanted in life. He viewed the hundreds of acres before him, bathed in the last golden light of the sun. The warm breeze brushed over the heads of wheat as a beautiful farewell. The stars faintly twinkled above in protest to the dreary scene. Not every night did such a sight present itself.

The sound of a truck pulling into the lot broke his serenity. Felix had to greet whoever it was; it was often that a lost traveller would have to ask for directions. He quickly brushed back his inky black, messy hair while making his way to the front of the house. On the dirt and dust driveway sat a cheap white pickup truck. White in a place like this wasn't too great of an idea, a dust devil could dirty it in every nook and cranny.

"Hello ma'am. Lookin' for someone? My Pa, Faustus, is out in town shopping. I can keep you company for a while though."

The strange phrasing took the lady by surprise. "Erm… uh… is Felix here? I have to deliver a letter…"

He raised an eyebrow. This young farm boy had no business getting packages from strangers, but that didn't prevent him from giving her a handshake. The guest reluctantly obliged. Her eyes darted around in awkwardness, she had never been out here before and didn't know this man.

"Yeah, he's here alright! You come in and make yourself at home, my sister Lucky is making dinner and we'd appreciate a visitor!" Felix said, practically dragging her inside.

A whistle of the kettle and a long list of introductions later, the meal was finally ready. The whole family had made their way to the table. The father had large horns, that was the only noticeable part of his Talent. The rest were…far more obvious. The seven children ranged from cat-human like to human, and all of them had horns. Their mother appeared more feline than the rest. Felix was the most human of the siblings. He had piercing yellow eyes and hair that was clearly from his momma.

"So, Felix… you didn't say that was you earlier…"

"Aww, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be like that. I just wanted to invite you over. But yeah, that's me! So, ma'am, what brings you to see lil 'ol me?"

The lady poked at her sweet potato in contemplation. All she knew was that it was a special message from some hero school. "It's a letter from a school or something. I'm sure you would know more about it if you opened it up."

"Absolutely! But we should do that later, after the meal!" Chesh, the mother, responded.

The youngest of the siblings eagerly snatched it up anyways, and ripped it open. "Dear Felix Cloverfield, ohh how formal!" "Put that down, Fortuna!" "-The North American Boarding School for blah blah blah would like to… OH! Ohohohohoh! You're going up north?"

"Well apparently! Hand that over and lemme take a look!"

Soon, the family was crowded behind him, glossing over the words again and again. The older siblings knew exactly what it was. Felix was going to be a part of something amazing. He never would have thought one guest would bring so much fortune to an already lucky family.

* * *

The short teen sighed, mouthing the words his father was saying over the cellphone he had pressed to his ear. 'Stay safe, trust no one, make the family proud' yada yada yada.

"Anyways, pops, I gotta go. They're telling us to get ready for the next flight- I'll call you and Ma later, okay?" With that, he hung up before his father could even reply and shoved the phone deep into the pockets of his baggy black pants.

He looked like a trouble maker. His shaggy brown hair puffed out from under a beanie. Under his heavy winter parka, he wore a white wife-beater, baggy black pants that hung low and worn out sneakers. Around his neck he wore several gold chains and a bandana. It was a far cry from what his family typically wore, but it carried just as bad a reputation. His face did little to hide the wariness he felt, his brow drawn and his electric green eyes narrow. He was in unfamiliar territory here.

With the phone conversation successfully ended, he took a moment to analyze the situation. They weren't actually at the school yet. After he'd gotten off the plane, he'd spotted a sign with his name on it held by a known staff member of NABSTI. They'd collected several other teenagers who would be attending that year, and they'd all headed towards a smaller runway where another plane awaited.

Vincenzo scanned the growing gathering of students. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Maybe someone suspicious. Wearing a fedora.

So far, no one looked particularly mobster-like.

One of the teens stuck out like a sore thumb, or rather, like someone with a farmer's tan. His skin was bright red, you could _feel_ the sunburn on him. But what was even more disturbing was his toothy grin. Despite the harsh winds that dominated the outskirts of Toronto, the kid seemed just fine wearing his flannel shirt. Did he even know where they were going? He caught sight of Vincenzo staring.

"Hey there stranger! You're a student too, huh? I'm Felix! Pleasure to meet 'cha!"

He held out a friendly hand, his golden cat eyes glistening in anticipation of making a friend. Even Felix's teeth were sharp and feline. Reluctantly, Vincenzo gripped his hand. Instead of a shake, Felix went into one of those man hugs that finished with a firm few pats on the back. He returned the gesture. Normally in his family, when someone went in for a hug, it was really to get close and whisper a threat. Imagine some poor farm boy looking kid telling you that your family is being held hostage and you have to cough up the money. Luckily, that didn't happen.

"Yeah, and I'm Pey. Over here, yo." Another, more sleepy voice announced. Pey, an average sized girl, waved in greeting. Her height was the only ordinary thing, compared to her shadow black eyes and spiked sky blue hair that appeared to… wisp away at the ends.

"Ah...just call me Grand Theft." Vincenzo said in a weak voice. He hadn't expected this many introductions at once. Most people already knew who he was. He didn't really want to use his real name either. Vincenzo. Ew.

"Okidoki, Grand Theft. I am Altera Law. Yes. My name is a sentence. A pun even. And an oxymoron. Ain't it cute?"

The three teens flinched at the fourth voice, which rang out from behind Felix. The black haired boy looked down to find a short girl standing slightly behind him, her hands clinging to the bottom of his flannel shirt.

How could they not have noticed her?

Altera Law stood in the chilly fall air, dressed in a tattered, white, knee-length dress and sandals. Her lavender hair had been pulled into two puffy pigtails that reached her shoulders, with her bangs pushed to either side, framing her mismatched eyes. The tiny girl offered them a grin that was slightly too wide to suit the current social situation.

"When in tarnation-" Felix's hair puffed up, like the hackles of a cat as he jumped away from the small girl.

"Is that a fucking gremlin?" Pey shouted, with a tint of fear but mostly disbelief.

"Last time I saw the doctors, it was confirmed that I am indeed a 'human being'. Apparently."

"Right. Sure they weren't quacks 'cause-" Vincenzo asked, a brow raised in scepticism.

"One had a duck head. If that helps," Altera said, giving a strange little giggle at the end.

Before more could be said, an adult's voice called out over the clammer of their fellow students. "Everyone! Please make your way onto the tarmac! We will be giving your seating arrangements as you get onto the plane. And remember, single file everyone. Please."

After much shuffling and pushing to exit the airport, the students were gathered outside a small plane. One by one, the teacher began calling people up by name and giving them their seat number. There was no particular order that could be seen, but the teacher appeared to be following a premade list of some sort.

Vincenzo felt his stomach drop when he realized that no, the teachers would not be referring to him as Grand Theft.

"Felix Cloverfield! You'll be seated in seat 13A."

With a cheerful wave, Felix left the group and boarded the plane, searching until he found his seat, right next to a window in the thirteenth row.

"Vincenzo Parrino!" the teacher paused for a moment, staring at the name, "Seat 13B."

People shifted out of Vincenzo's way as he headed towards the plane. Once neutral expressions were now shifting to distrust and fear. Some gave angry glares. This was more his element. He stood up straight, giving a cocky smirk. They wanted the mafia? They'd get mafia.

His eyes shifted towards the pilot, who stood outside the plane while they all got on board. Knowing he was in plain view of the rest of his classmates, Vincenzo nodded to the man, who instantly nodded back, tipping a non-existent hat to the youth.

The teen then disappeared onto the plane to take his seat. The others stared at the pilot who pulled out a phone to text someone, **Boss's kid's onboard.**

 _"Oh God...the pilot's part of the-"_

 _"Why'd they let a villain come to NABSTI?"_

"Everyone! Quiet down! Would Marina Southbeach please board the plane. Your seat is 13C. Thank you."

With that, the listing continued.

"Mercedes Hart, 13D."

"Altera Law, in 14A. Pey Devi in 14B. Makana Malakeke, 14C…"

Eventually, everyone was seated, but many sent shifting glances towards Vincenzo. Everyone knew the Parrino family. They were notorious villains. Each and every one of them.

Fortunately, as the plane took off, Vincenzo found that the three he'd been talking to earlier didn't seem to be too uncomfortable around him. Altera was standing on her seat, messing with Felix's hair, although her eyes would shift towards his own head like she wanted to take his hat off and play with his hair too. Felix was enthusiastically chattering about something to do with pitchforks, completely ignoring the fact that Altera had at some point procured clovers and was braiding them into Felix's hair. Pey did look somewhat uncomfortable, but not nearly as badly as the other people around him.

She leaned forward in her seat slightly, "So...Why...areyouhereexactly?"

"Wellllllll-"

"I mean, if you want to be a hero that's great but...why?"

"Of course I want to be a hero. I mean, I don't get the same kick out of stealing that my siblings get, and I think there's something really honourable about the guys who come to try and arrest my father every once in awhile. I'm not suicidal like them, but I think it's cool that they'd risk their lives to help others."

Pey nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. I'm also pretty curious on why they asked you to…" She paused, not changing in expression. "Did your uhh, _family_ , like, make them take you? Is that it?"

"Ah. Yeah. pretty much. It was dad's idea." He replied, deadpan. It was great going to such an amazing school, but still: his father forced him into it.

"Cool cool… Yeah, I think I'd go too, even in a situation like that…." She pulled her hood over her head and nestled into the seat. "I'm gonna go possess someone, see ya in a few minutes or something…"

 _'Possess?'_ Before the teen could ask, she was out. A moment of silence lingered, excluding the chattering of Felix and Altera. There was no doubt about it, everyone here was weird.

"So, enough about me. Vinny what about you? What's your Talent?"

"Don't ever call me Vinny. Like. EVER." He cracked his knuckles just to make an extra menacing look. Vinny was most certainly the worst nickname ever given to him.

"Okay, okay… don't get your knickers in a knot. Altera, what's _your_ Talent? I'm excited to hear 'bout it."

Altera stopped braiding his hair and snapped her fingers. Suddenly things got… weird to say the least. There was a strange acid purple colour to everything within an invisible box surrounding them, and the four -Pey included- all stood up, followed by a vigorous amount of spinning. Following the few seconds of that mayhem, everything returned to normal. Students giggled at the scene, but turned away once Vincenzo gave a scowl.

"Okay _what_ was that?" Grand Theft interrogated.

"My Quirk."

" _Yeah, I figured as much."_

"Okay, good. I was afraid that display might not have sufficed!"

"But what _is_ your Quirk?"

"That was."

He let out a sigh. This wasn't going anywhere. Grand Theft turned his attention to the window. This was going to be a long trip. Back home, things were quiet -which he resented. But now that he got to see other kids his age who weren't tied into the family's line of work, he just wanted silence. What had his parents been thinking when they sent him off to a boarding school? Most of his childhood had been spent playing games with thirty-something year old bodyguards.

"Aw, do not tell this one you are pouting!" Altera cooed, patting the hat on Grand Theft's head, "I was only kidding around. My Talent is called 'Trick Room'. Within a certain area, random rules are made that must be followed."

That was...surprisingly useful. Maybe.

"What about you, Felix?" Altera asked.

"Ah, umm, well you see… My ma has a cat Talent and my pa is a very lucky guy. I'd love to tell ya more, but I'd best wait 'till we're on the ground."

Grand Theft slowly nodded, in part confusion. Perhaps it wasn't a safe Talent to talk about at the moment. He could understand that. His own wasn't particularly something one would promote in public, the same went for his entire family.

"So Vi- Grand Theft, how about you? You got some sort of awesome Talent, right?"

Grand Theft shifted his gaze away, looking anywhere but at the others, "I wouldn't exactly call it awesome." Most of the time, when someone commented on his Quirk, it was around the lines of 'Hey kid, nice Talent, your father could make good use of that'. "...It's similar to the Copy Quirk."

"Oh, that's p cool." Pey said. There was no guessing how long she was awake, but it was apparent now. "My Talent just got a guy to text all his friends about his secret love for Gossip Girl. I'm sure his phone plan will love that, but yeah that's what my Talent does… Uhhh I mean I take over people's bodies while mine falls asleep. Yeah. Happy times. I was also a fly that got on the plane. Lemme tell you memers what, those eyes are trippy."

"That's… not very nice." Felix couldn't help but mention. "Taking over someone? What would your mother say?"

"Uh… 'Hey Pey stop using your Talent and get some fresh air'? I'm just wasting time on this boring ride. Besides, normally I just… make the possessee walk around a bit. That was the most - and longest - I've ever messed up someone's day."

The group descended into conversation about their Talents, Felix and Grand Theft being careful not to bring up too much about theirs. One out of embarrassment and the other out of concern for causing panic. Throughout it all, Altera continued to stand upon her seat, trying to braid hair. After she had thoroughly messed up Grand Theft's hat hair, she attempted to braid Pey's hair, only to find that Pey refused to lower her hood, and when the hood was down, that wisps were harder to braid than originally thought. At the very least, it stopped her from giving further examples of her 'Trick Room'.

* * *

"So, handsome. Now that the plane has landed, will you tell us of your particular Talent?" Altera asked, practically skipping to keep up with the others as they walked away from the runway.

It was freezing cold outside now, and many students were rushing for the doors to the main NABSTI building in an attempt to flee the harsh winds. While Altera showed little sign that the below freezing temperatures bothered her (despite the fact she was wearing a knee-length, short-sleeved dress and sandals), Grand Theft found himself wishing he had another parka to wear overtop the first, as the wind still cut through the padded coat.

Grand Theft glanced towards his other companions, to see how they were fairing in the weather.

"Well shucks, this reminds me of winter back at home!" Felix said, grinning as he stood there in nothing but his jeans and flannel shirt.

In a blur of motion, Pey darted ahead of them, racing for the door, leaving the other three in the dust, staring after her. Pey was a Florida girl. She wasn't built for this cold shit.

"You sure her Talent ain't superspeed?"

"Who knows..." Grand Theft said, staring after her with wide eyes. Was it possible to move that fast?

"I was gonna offer to expand my Room for her but-"

"Is that why you aren't freezing your ass off?"

Altera grinned widely at Grand Theft, "Indeed it is."

"Mind expanding it over here?"

"Sure thing!"

Grand Theft was hit by a wave of blisteringly warm air. Instantly, he began to sweat under the heavy parka. He heard Felix give a surprised, but happy sigh as the Room expanded to fit him. Before he could comment on the heat, he felt something drip from his nose and reaching up, he found that the rapid change of temperature had caused his nose to bleed.

"Shit."

One student with watery hair caught sight of him, and began whispering to another. " _Did he… did he get into a fight?"_

 _"M-maybe, but who do you think...you know...punched him?"_

 _"You don't think it was that Felix guy, I mean, he's the only one who'll go near Parrino-"_

 _"No, there's those two girls."_

 _"Truuuue…"_

 _"And one of them ran off. Think he said something to her, and she lost it?"_

"Ah! It's not that! He just got… a…" It was too late for Felix to fix this now, the gossip had spread like a plague. The teen turned to Grand Theft and shrugged. "I tried. But gosh, is everybody so rude around here?"

"Yes!" Altera chimed matter-of-factly.

"You guys think this is rude?" Grand Theft asked, actually surprised. Where he was from, it was more common to get flipped off by some old granny than it was to make eye contact with someone in the same room as you.

"Well, yeah. Back in Cloverfield-"

"Wait...you lived in a town with the same name as your family?"

"Sure did."

And Grand Theft thought _he'd_ been sheltered.

Noticing the look Grand Theft was giving him, Felix frowned, "Why, where are you two from?"

"New York."

"The desert."

At this, both boys looked down at the pale gremlin. She grinned what was becoming a familiar too-wide smile. It appeared that the three were on varying degrees of 'sheltered lifestyle'. As they slowly made their way to the building, Grand Theft began to truly understand the intimidating grandois of NABSTI. The structures weren't tall, but wide. They expanded forever, far past what he could see. The inside was even more impressive.

First, was the lobby. It was chock full of teens waiting to be escorted to their dorms, but ignoring that, it was a vast place. No hotel could compete with the inlays, the gold trimmed counters, the marble floors, the coffee tables, fireplaces, and so much more. Various hallways shot off of the main lobby, leading into the labyrinthian _city_ that was NABSTI.

Various teachers stood throughout the room, calling out to one another, asking if any changes needed to be made to the room plans. One of the teachers rushed towards the group still slowly making their way inside the building.

Lucy Kindle was a woman who appeared nearly completely feline. Her body was covered in fur that bore the markings of a snowshoe cat, from the tips of her cat ears to the end of her long tail. Her face was almost human, but extended into a muzzle with a cute little kitty nose. Dark markings surrounded her icy blue eyes, and her white fur was dotted with patches of dark brown and tan-rose. She wore a pink dress and white kitten heels.

As she approached the students, she smiled warmly, "Hello everyone! My name is Ms. Kindle, and I'll be your homeroom teacher. For now, I will be calling out names. When you hear your name, please gather around me. I'll be showing you to your dorms as well as taking you to our homeroom class in the morning after breakfast."

Ms. Kindle began listing the names of students, and one by one they moved to stand with her until around thirty students had been gathered. It was noisy and nearly impossible to hear over each other. One or two of the students were just about ready to wander off before the tour had even begun. After taking a minute to count and _attempt_ to silence the crowd, the cat-like teacher motioned to the group that the trip was starting. The mass left the lobby and into a large, but busy corridor. If empty, a drag race could be held. Maybe even three cars could fit.

The four teens found themselves somewhere between surprise, frustration and relief that they were all in the same homeroom class. They followed after the woman who lead them down one long hallway, talking quietly amongst themselves along the way. Some students were desperately trying to memorize the hallways they took as the group passed room after room, hallway after hallway. Each hallway was nearly as grand as the lobby had been, built from the same polished marble throughout.

"How long do you think it's going to take us to learn our way through this place?" Grand Theft asked.

"Four years, give or take." Altera giggled, "Maybe a couple decades if one stays."

Eventually, the teacher stopped at a wide wooden door, with a gold plaque reading: **Class of XXXX**

"This will be your new home for the next four years! There are thirty-two of you in this class, with an even number of boys and girls. This is because the dorms are shared, two students to a room."

This caused a burst of noise from the students. Some looked forward to sharing a room with another, while others seemed to shrink at the idea. A number of children began reaching towards others, having made friends on the plane ride out to NABSTI from Toronto. This was exactly according to the plan, it seemed.

"The dorms are assigned based on the seating plan for the flight out here. We use the flight to see if students are able to get along. Unless conflict occurs on the flight, then the person you sat beside shall be your roommate for the next four years."

"Great!" Felix said, shooting an excited grin towards Grand Theft. The green-eyed teen wasn't so sure how he felt about sharing a room with Felix. As far as he could tell, Felix was fine with him, and he didn't look like the type another _family_ would hire to take out someone, so it was likely to be safe but...Felix was... _Felix._

Of course, Felix seemed like he'd be easier to handle than other students. He almost felt bad for Pey, who would be sharing a room with…

"Look, Pey-Child. We get to spend every day together. Is this not fantastic news?"

"Fantastic."

All luggage was in the rooms already, according to the confirmation emails sent out a week ago. That left Grand Theft to set up his side of the room, and to get his binders in order. He wasn't studious, no, but he had no intentions of being unprepared for whatever the school had to throw at him. Felix had already made his way into the dorm and was marveling at the simplicity of the place. Grand Theft's eyes dragged themselves to the digital clock on the wall. **22:13.** That explained a lot. The trip was tiring, sure, but the sun was still up. It would take years before his mind would adjust to the idea that for days on end it would be daylight, and for the other days, pure darkness. First things first: sleep. He could organise in the morning.


	2. The Behaviour of Heroes

**DISCLAIMER: We do not own the _Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia_ world. **

* * *

A large eye covered the entire sky and its shadow laid upon every single blade of grass. Her Talent was useless against such a foe. It was too big, too far away. Pey would have to, for not the first time, give up. If only she had super strength, or wings, something useful! She took a trembling breath, and ran.

 ** _Ding dong ding!_** A pleasant chime rose her from the nightmare. ' _Wow, that nightmare kept me asleep for the whole night, impressive.'_

 ** _"The time is six thirty. Today is the first day of the fall term. Please be especially courteous to any new students. There are no more announcements."_**

 _'Ah, morning announcements how I love and loathe thee'._ It's the only thing that would wake her at such an ungodly hour, which was both good and bad. Pey stumbled out of bed and got ready for the day. Clothing, check. Brushed hair, yup. Brushed teeth…not done. Waking a few moments after was Altera, who met Pey in the washroom with a bright, multi-coloured toothbrush.

The girl was dressed in a once-white skirt (now spattered with all colours of paint and dye), and a once-white shirt with long flowing sleeves.

"Good morning, Pey."

"Eh."

"Not one for morning pleasantries?"

"Eh."

"How about we go and get breakfast at the cafeteria? We may be able to all find our classmates from there."

"Eh."

Mindlessly, Pey shadowed Altera, who seemed to know exactly where the cafeteria was, despite the twists and turns of the corridors and the morning rush. Like the rest of NABSTI, the eatery was gargantuan. Restaurants of every breed adorned the walls and tables were messily strewn about. Imagine the busiest indoor mall's food court, now multiply it by four hundred thousand. There was no way the two would find a classmate.

After securing a meal and a table, they began to chomp down.

"So," Pey began in between bites. "What kind of super name do you want… Y'know, when we get that far."

"Oh, I do not know. There is much to be considered! Do you know what title you would want?"

"Heh, not a clue."

The two of them talked on and on about hopes for the year, fears, and other students. One of them appeared to have a fear of heights, that was learnt during the flight when the washroom was 'occupied' the whole time. Most of the students were big time, popular to say the least. Actually, Pey was in those ranks. She had nearly mastered her Talent, from the commoner's perspective. She could possess anything within range, ten people at max, but that would take up her energy for the day. That wasn't good enough for her. Pey needed to possess things for longer, and to also possess her own body at the same time. There were more points, but those were the most important.

Her popularity was why she stayed inside, wore hoodies, and averted her eyes oft. Here at this school though, she was average.

There was a loud bang as someone sat down at their table, slamming their tray down. Pey was yanked out of her thoughts to stare at Felix and 'Grand Theft'.

Grand Theft looked horrible. His already messy hair (a consequence of wearing a beanie everyday) stood up at strange angles. He was dressed much the same as he had been yesterday, but he wore a baggy off-white hoodie with what looked like bloodstains on one sleeve. Heavy bags were formed under his eyes as he stared blankly at the tray in front of him.

It had been a long night for the young 'thug'. He'd spent most of the time drifting in and out of a paranoid light sleep...waiting for his roommate to try and kill him. It wasn't that he thought Felix could kill someone...but what if that was his goal? What if he was just pretending to be a country bumpkin, and he actually worked for the _family_ who the Parrino's were currently at war with?

Or...he was just being paranoid, the country bumpkin really was a country bumpkin and no one was trying to kill him while he was stuck in an unfamiliar place far, far away from his home.

He blamed his family for being a _family_. He was more used to sleeping alone, having bodyguards posted outside...and being in his own bed, where he could hear the city life raging outside.

He wasn't homesick or anything though...and he definitely hadn't gotten pasta for breakfast in hopes it tasted anything like his Ma's cooking.

Grand Theft had been part relieved, part amazed that the cafeteria had a 'Little Italy' the size of an actual small village.

Unlike his bedraggled roommate, Felix looked bright and chipper. His tray was packed with toast, pancakes, sausages, eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and a plethora of other breakfast foods he was familiar with.

" 'Ello, Grand Theft! You do not appear to be well-rested," Altera said, before her eyes trained onto Felix, "Good morning, Handsome."

Before Felix could respond, Grand Theft spoke up, "What the hell? I get 'you look like shite' and he gets 'handsome'?"

"Yes."

Pey spoke up after the last of them had finished eating. "So… will we be heading to class soon? I'm not too sure I know the way… Actually I take that back. I'm _sure_ I don't know the way."

"Fear not. This one knows the way."

"How the hell do ya know the way to the classroom? I can't even remember how to get back to the lobby," Grand Theft frowned. He picked at the pasta in front of him, not yet brave enough to try it. Part of him wondered if he should get Felix to eat some of, just in case it was poisoned or something. You never knew when the cook was actually an assassin hired by another family.

Then, there was a shove and his face nearly went into the bowl.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I just can't help but spring into action when I see a villain!" The comment came from who appeared to be another student. His hair seemed to be made of crystals or… _something_. Either way, it wasn't hard to notice him. There was no subtlety in his actions; he wanted this to be seen.

There were four very different reactions from the group gathered at the table.

Grand Theft kept perfectly still, but bright green eyes darkened and narrowed, staring down at his food. Anyone who could see his face knew it was the expression of someone who was very, very angry. It was the kind of expression one would expect on the face of a boy raised among villains.

Felix stared at the scene with wide eyes. It seemed like he wanted to say something to diffuse the ticking bomb, but nothing came out.

A mismatched gaze bore blankly into the prismatic eyes of the 'attacker', "Oh. You must go through many mirrors."

"Siding with the enemy, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk. And here I thought this school was for the _brightest_ heroes."

Lavender eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "I appear to be sitting across from both of you. I am unsure how I can be 'siding' if I am not 'beside'?"

Grand Theft was unable to stop himself from facepalming and letting out a quiet groan of frustration.

Felix got up to stand face to face with the kid. "Now listen here, I don't appreciate what you have to say. My friends here were enjoying a nice meal until you came along. If you want to say something, we can have a nice discussion right down here _like grown adults._ " He said while patting the table.

"Tch. Like I'd want to be caught dead sitting with a bunch of creeps like you." Done saying his piece, the teen pointedly looked away from them and continued on his path across the cafeteria floor, towards one of the various counters offering selections of food.

And through it all, Pey had at some point fallen asleep again.

Then, a voice rumbled over the intercoms. **_"Students, It is 7:30. All first to fourth year students are to go back to their dorms at this time. Thank you."_**

At that, Pey woke up, far more lively than before. "Damn, and here I was hoping to get to class early... Well Altera, lead us to the dorms!"

"Okidoki!" With a too-wide grin, the short girl popped up to her feet and went to put away her tray and dishes. The other three followed after her, although both Felix and Grand Theft were also trying to finish what was left of their breakfast before they had to leave.

Eventually, the quartet found themselves in the hallway, where their yearmates appeared to be in states of panic as they wandered aimlessly down the hallways leading away from the cafeteria.

Altera took an immediate left, much to the surprise of her followers, as they were quite sure they'd come from a different path.

"Um...ya sure this is the right way?"

"Yes."

"Didn't we get here from like...the third hallway on the right?"

"This is a shortcut."

Grand Theft stared at the back of her head and frowned, uttering to himself "You've never been here before...how do you know any shortcuts?"

"I am quite good with directions."

Ten minutes later saw them standing in their residence hall. They couldn't see any of their peers, but Ms. Kindle awaited near the entrance. She was dressed similarly to the day before, in another pink dress with white shoes. As she leaned against the wall, her attention seemed to be focused on the phone in her hands as she rapidly tapped away on the screen. Something in the way she stared at the phone showed her to be worried about the person she was texting.

Then, she noticed the four students approaching her and looked up at them, smiling warmly...as best a cat can.

She seemed surprised to see them so soon after the announcement, "Oh...wow. I didn't expect anyone to get here so quickly! You four are probably better at navigating this place than I am!"

The three taller members of the group all glanced down at the walking rainbow that was Altera, but said nothing to refute the teacher's statement.

Slowly, but surely, other students joined the wait. One of them had the iridescent sheen of a now familiar antagonist. His presence confirmed it: the bully was in the same class. None of them must've noticed him during the trip up.

Which was impressive given how his crystalline hair sparkled brilliantly in the light.

In Grand Theft's opinion, the guy was an eyesore.

The Eyesore wasn't the only student who had an appearance influenced by his Talent. Glancing around the room, one could see a girl with mint green slime for hair, and a boy who appeared to be bending his arms in four places to appease his boredom. Another boy stood on legs that resembled prosthetics made of sharp metal blades.

"Alright, now that everyone appears to be present, I will show you all our classroom. Please stay to one side of the hall as there are others going to class as well."

The kids all did their best to obey and followed her left, right, left… it was quite a winding walk. However, they all made it, no student got left behind. The class itself was quite big, possibly for accessibility. There were desks and chairs all in rows just like a normal school. This would be their homeroom, but that meant there were more classrooms they would have to find later.

Everyone grabbed a seat, with the four musketeers taking the front right desks with Grand Theft closest to the door, Altera behind him, Pey to the left of her, and Felix next to Vinny. Pey had it planned out: Felix would block the teacher's sight, so she could sleep. With Altera behind Grand Theft _and_ Felix, she could do whatever her heart desires... Mostly colouring. And Grand Theft seemed kinda skittish sometimes, so he got the seat closest to the exit.

"Well, let's begin with introductions. Tell everyone your name, Talent, and one fun fact about yourself." She paced about before landing next to Grand Theft. "We'll start from the front of the row to the back, and then from the front of the next row, okay? Well let me start first. You can call me Ms. Kindle, my Quirk is quite simply 'cat'. My fun fact is that I've been to the Louvre!"

Then everyone's attention fell unto the next in line: Grand Theft.

"Shit," he sighed, "I'm Grand Thef-"

"Your real name, honey."

"Fuuu- Alright. The name's Vincenzo Parrino. My Talent is called Grand Theft Quirk...Aaaaaaannnnnnddddd um...I'm not a villain? Like, I know my family is kinda famous for being cut-throats, thieves yada yada yada...but I want to be a hero?"

There were numerous noises of disbelief from around the room, as none of his classmates really believed his 'fun fact'.

"Your fun fact is supposed to be fun, not a joke!" Someone called from the back of the room, which was followed by people around the room shouting _'OOOOOH!'_

Grand Theft just rolled his eyes as Ms. Kindle scolded the class before she turned her attention to the next student- Altera.

Realizing it was her turn, Altera dropped the red crayon she'd been using on the desk and proceeded to climb atop said surface.

The little girl cleared her throat slightly and began, "Greetings fellow classmates! I am Altera Law, also known as 'Gremlin', 'Unholy Monster', and 'Alterror'. My Quirk is called Trickroom, in which I am goddess and all shall bow before my might….and a fun fact about me would be...Currently in my Room, left is up, down is left, up is down and right is green."

Ms. Kindle blinked up at the little girl on the desk, before giving a little giggle, "Alright, Altera. Thank you for sharing...now please return to your seat."

"Okidoki!" Quite proud of the stunned expressions on her classmates' faces, she sat back down and returned to colouring on her desk, disregarding the presence of the teacher right next to her.

Then a bronze skinned girl with wavy blue hair stood up. Her shoulders rolled inwards, making her seem smaller than she was and her hair framed, if not nearly obscured, her face. The teen did her absolute best to keep her eyes glued to the ground as she talked.

"Uh… Hello. I am Southbeach. Ah, Marina Southbeach. My Talent is 'Water Gun'... I can shoot water out of my hands at very high speeds… A fun fact about me is that I have a twin back home in Cuba…" Her shy and squeaky voice could barely be heard, but when she finished talking, everyone nodded along.

"Sakim Runner, My Quirk is my uhh blade legs and a fun fact about me is that I enjoy hiking." His was short, sweet, and simple. However the thought of him trying to rock climb did leave a few giggling.

Sakim looked far more ordinary than most in the class. His eyes and hair were nearly black, no weird colours or designs on him. Of course there were the legs that were metallic and pointed. In terms of personality, he appeared to be pretty normal. Not super loud or quiet, just… plain.

The next person in line was a girl with yellow, reptilian eyes, and her short dark blue hair appeared to be made of feathers rather than actual hair. Dark scales climbed up her neck, jaw and cheeks, clearly displaying her reptilian nature.

"I'm Liz Osborn, and I have the Quirk 'Raptor', which basically makes me a raptor...I'm fast, strong, I really like it when things run away from me, and I'm a pretty decent tracker. My fun fact would be that the hero Dracona is my mom." As people around the room began whispering excitedly, she gave a sharp-toothed grin that made the scales on her face shift.

After Liz, there was a girl with long dark brown hair and olive skin. The only visible sign that she might have a Talent was her bright red eyes with what appeared to be pluses instead of pupils. In a friendly tone she introduced herself, "I'm Mercedes Hart, but my friends call me Mercy. My Talent is Health Swap. It lets me switch people's health around. A fun fact about me is that I usually only get hurt by someone once before they learn better."

Then it went to Felix, at the front of the next row. He seemed to be ready before Mercy was even finished. "Well howdy folks, I'm Felix Cloverfield from Cloverfield, Valley County, Montana, USA. My Talent is… Well gosh I hate to say it but my Talent is Bad Luck. A fun fact about me is that I have six other sibling! My ma's Chesh, my pa's Faustus, then for sibling we got Chance, Lucky, Clover, Me and Felicity, Evangeline, and finally Fortuna. That's the Cloverfield Clan for ya'll."

Then it was Pey's turn.

"My name-"

"Please stand up."

" _Fine._ I'm Pey. My Talent is Possession and my fact is that I don't have one."

 _"Please don't be like that."_

"My fact is that I uhh like youtube."

The teacher sighed and continued on with the introductions. After Pey was Lee Gu, Makana Malakeke, Areia Walker, Almas Kirby, and more. There were 32 in the class, no one was going to remember _all_ of those names on the first day. One name that _did_ stick out, however, was Shard Skarpson.

"Salutations, _friends._ I am Shard Skarpson, from a long line of heroes under the Skarpson name. My Talent is that I can produce glass of varying thicknesses to protect and to attack. My _fun fact_ as you would call it is that I already have experience in the hero field because of my family. So if any of you need help, you can come to me! It would be my pleasure."

When the introductions were complete, Ms. Kindle took up her place at the front of the room and addressed the class.

"Now, as you are all first year students here at NABSTI, it's my job to explain the rules that students here are expected to follow for the next four years." She began to write on the board.

She wrote ' **1: No Fighting** '.

"The rule that most of the staff here would like you all to follow most specifically, is that your Talents are not to be used to hurt other students. If you have difficulties with another student, please speak with a staff member. As heroes-in-training, you are all expected to be responsible with your powers- Not every altercation with a villain needs to end in violence...This rule also includes the use of weapons, as we are aware that some of you are 'packing' as they say. This is something acceptable in some countries, however we are in Canada, and citizens are not allowed to have firearms or knives on their persons. Also, you're in class and there's definitely no reason for you to have them in school. Someone will be coming in later this period to collect your weapons."

Grand Theft muttered to himself, quietly cursing the future loss of his guns. It had taken a lot of name-dropping to smuggle them into Canada.

 **2: Don't Be Late/Absent**

"For the next four days, staff members will be leading you to and from your classes so that you can learn your way around the school. After that, however, tardiness will not be tolerated. If a teacher needs to speak to you after class, they will write you a late slip explaining why you are late arriving to your next class. If you are feeling unwell, you are expected to go to the nurse's wing and the medical staff there will notify your teachers that you will not be attending class, if they deem it necessary. This is not just for physical health but mental health as well- there are numerous counselors available to help you, too."

 **3: Curfew**

"As first year students, you are all expected to be in your residence hall by eight, your own in dorm by ten o'clock at the latest. Boys and girls absolutely _must_ sleep in separate rooms. Room Inspection dates and times are posted on the bulletin board in the common room at the end of the residence hall. Before curfew, students are allowed to explore the facilities, although some areas are off limits without permission from staff, such as the advanced training areas and labs."

 **4: Academic Dishonesty**

"We here at NABSTI pride ourselves in education both in class and out. We have plenty of peer tutors and teachers who are available to help after school. There should be no reason for cheating, plagiarizing, or any similar actions. Most teachers also allow make up tests and assignments."

 **5: Stealing/Trespassing**

"Under no circumstances should you be in another student's room without their permission. Nor should you be in any room save your own without permission, including the homes of staff and our residential heroes. We don't care if you're surprising them, waking them up, or borrowing a pen. Speaking of which, if anyone is caught stealing, even if it is something mundane, it is still stealing. If you need something, we have campus stores and staff who could help you."

 **6: Follow the Laws of Canada**

"NABSTI is in Canada and is subjected to their laws. Although most laws are similar, there are many that vary. Gambling is legal at 18, but drinking age is 19 here, as is the legal age to buy cigarettes. Brush up on important Canadian laws. There are police on campus and you will be billed or jailed accordingly."

A few students asked questions going in depth about the rules, and after that, the first school day properly began. English, Math, Elective, lunch, and then Hero Studies. First things first, though, was to make it to lunch time.

* * *

 _ **And there's chapter two of**_ **Falling from Grace! _We've begun to introduce more of their classmates (I'm sure eventually we'll meet all 32)._**

 ** _Next chapter we'll be going more in depth with the Quirks- and we'll be meeting NABSTI's very own Pro Hero staff members!_**

 ** _So far we have 1 Review, 5 Favourites and 8 Followers._**

 ** _Big thanks goes to our first (and only) reviewer:_ Siera-Knightwalker!**

 ** _Thank you guys so much for the support, and feel free to review and ask us any questions you might have!_**


	3. An End to a Torturous Day

**DISCLAIMER: We have no claims on the BNHA world- we only own our OCs and the school they inhabit.**

* * *

The so called 'Talentless' teacher of NABSTI, Donith Avadarchi, remained silent as he took in the chaos around him. He hadn't quite been sure what to expect when he had agreed to teach at NABSTI- he had no Talent, after all, and was hardly qualified to teach these children to be heroes. The Headmaster, apparently, disagreed with that analysis completely. She insisted that he was more than qualified to teach mathematics at her school (if one could call the _city_ she ruled over a 'school').

So here he was, standing in front of a class of 32 students who had all failed to register his presence. It was impressive, given that he'd been the one to lead them to his classroom not far from their English class and homeroom.

Altera Law, the...strange...creature...he'd been forced to travel through the desert to meet, was scribbling on her desk with _oil pastels_ , and was creating what looked like an impressive recreation of the Mona Lisa, from where he stood. It was hard to see past the companions she had somehow acquired, who blocked her mostly from his view.

The boy seated in front of her, closest to the door, appeared to be twitching slightly, hands reaching into pockets only to come out empty. The boy forlornly stared at the appendages before making little finger guns, and was 'shooting' them with unenthusiastic motions and quietly muttered 'bang's.

Beside 'Forlorn Fingergun Kid', sat a dark haired boy with a bad tan. This boy was animatedly chattering away to the depressed kid, not even noticing that his companion wasn't listening at all. Instead, he continued to monologue on the 'bountiful harvest' his family was expecting later in the fall. And how he hoped his favourite cow wouldn't miss him too terribly while he was away.

Behind Farmer's Tan, the girl sitting there appeared to be dead to the world, deep asleep despite having sat down only five minutes ago.

On the other side of the room, a pale, ashen looking boy with eyes that glowed like burning coals was flicking a lighter on and off, watching as the flames sparked and danced. At one point, it looked as though the flame had danced right off the lighter and into the air before sinking back into its container.

One boy was poking the back of a girl's head repeatedly. In response, she was trying to bite his fingers off with teeth that sparkled in the light like diamonds. To escape her chomping teeth, his arms would bend at impossible angles- and in at least two more places than they should.

Deciding there had been more than enough time for the students to try and control themselves, Donith attempted to get their attention. It was time for class to begin, "Excuse me-"

Only one student seemed to be paying him any mind- and he almost wished she wasn't, just so he didn't have to think about the too-wide grin and mismatched eyes staring at him.

He made a second attempt, "Ladies and Gentlemen!"

Again no response.

What Donith wouldn't give for a voice amplifying Talent…

There was a flurry of motion as the small lavender-haired hellspawn hopped out of her desk and wandered into the middle of the classroom. No one seemed to notice her, until in a cheerful voice that he could _just_ pick up over the din rang out.

A purple box slowly expanded out from the girl, "The rule of the room is that students will sit in their seats and listen."

As the cube reached the edges of the room, all sound ceased and the students jerked into motion like puppets on string. Including Altera, all the children moved back to their seats with halting movements and sat facing the front of the room.

After a moment, when all the students were in place and staring at him in wide-eyed panic, the room of light around them vanished. The students were free to move and speak again, but from the uneasy looks the majority of them wore, he doubted they'd misbehave for the next little while.

"...Thank you...Altera…" Donith began slowly, nodding to the girl before turning to the rest of the class, "I am your teacher, Mr. Avadarchi. Today, we will be going over the course material for this year, and the rules of this classroom."

The rules were the same kind that any self respecting teacher would have. No stealing, play nice, things like that. Pey didn't bother to write them down or anything, hell, _these weren't even her notes_. She'd snuggled up inside the body of one of her peers, and was figuring out how to use 'Bruce's' paper-based Talent. Using her 'host's' Talent was the part where she struggled most. However, a decent way into the class, she had managed to form something equivalent to a small crumpled piece of paper, similar to a spitball.

Naturally she had to use this on Shard. He didn't move. She did it again, this time directing it to his ear and… Bull's eye!

"OW!" 'Bruce' shouted as a splinter of glass dug into the skin.

The shock put Pey right back into her own body, and with a snap of the head she was 'awake'.

The teacher gave a stern sigh. " _Rai- Skarpson. What is the meaning of this?_ "

"Bruce shot paper into my ear!"

"Wha? No I didn't?"

Similar lines bounced back and forth, barely letting the teacher get a say in. To be fair, it was a miniscule slice of glass. Just big enough to see, but anyone would tell you that even a bit like that would hurt. It was more of Bruce's confusion and denial that made the ordeal such a problem.

Within a minute of yelling, both of them were sent to the office… where ever it was located.

* * *

With the help of Altera, they had all managed to get to their electives on time. Even Altera herself managed to find the art room with plenty of time to spare.

When lunch arrived, the four of them all scrambled to find where they'd eaten earlier in hopes of finding each other. It worked, surprisingly.

"So… How was everyone's classes?" Pey asked between bites.

"This one took maths. It was fun."

At Altera's words, Pey and Felix exchanged confused looks, while Grand Theft sighed.

"We took **_art_** ," he corrected. "It was alright, I guess. It's art, nothing special. Easy marks."

"He is very good at following the rules of art. And how about the enjoyment of your class, Pey-child?"

"Drama is kinda fun… I can't stand Shard being there though."

"The acting of Son of Skarp is very impressive. This one does not think he takes off the mask ever! Mayhaps the ash one can light his pants on fire?"

"Gee, I would sure love to see y'all's work!" Felix interrupted, wrangling back the topic. "Anywho, I had a blast in music! Got to take up the fiddle! Got to meet another student… uhhh Hickory! He's the kid sitting next to… oh… _Shard_."

His finger that once pointed a good ten tables away curled back in disappointment. Beyond the many seats and students, one could make out the group. Hickory, a blond boy with a farmer's tan just as intense as Felix's, was talking away to Shard, who didn't seem to really be listening. Liz sat with them, nearly screeching in laughter over something, and Piro, the lighter kid, was silently poking at his mushy food. He lifted his eyes away from it to make contact with Felix, who turned his attention back to his friends.

"Hickory's the blond one," Felix said, although it wasn't really necessary. The farmer's tan displayed by his t-shirt made it clear that Felix had found a kindred spirit.

Altera stared across the room with narrowed eyes, "They're copying us."

"What?" Pey asked, glancing again at the table. It didn't look like they were mocking them.

Grand Theft looked over and paused, "I...kinda see it?"

A wide grin spread across her face, "Country bloke, dead inside, crazy and a legacy carrier."

"I don't reckon I understand a word you two are sayin'."

"Same."

The strange girl pouted at this, but eventually just shrugged and turned back to her lunch.

For the quartet, lunch passed by in relative peace. There was a brief moment where an argument erupted at Shard's table.

Bruce, a boy with long brown hair and pure white eyes, had been walking past the table when Shard decided to pick up their earlier dispute. From what could be heard, Shard had received a detention later in the week for physically harming another student. It was surprising that Shard and Bruce didn't resort to a full on brawl.

That, however, was none of _their_ business...so the four were rather content to sit back and watch the show.

* * *

There was a nervous air around the new students as lunch came to an end. It was the time they had all been eagerly awaiting… _Hero Studies_. It would be the most important and hardest part of the day. Not to mention that by the end of the school day everyone would know what their class was made of.

As the bell to conclude lunch rang through the main school building, Altera popped to her feet (clad in mismatched shoes) and began heading towards one of the cafeteria exits. Thirty one other students quickly scrambled to their feet, eager to follow her. She was the only one who seemed to know where anything was here.

The older students had hand drawn maps.

After a half dozen twists and turns, two flights of steps up, three flights down and a long hallway that gently sloped upwards, the herd came to a stop in front of a massive steel door.

Inside the room (although it could hardly be called a room- it was more like being inside a giant warehouse) where their teacher was waiting. The woman was sported clothing more appropriate for something along the lines of...office work. In fact, she looked more like your average secretary than a hero course teacher. Her blond, brown-streaked hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she was dressed in a dark blue suit jacket, white blouse, a pencil skirt that matched her jacket, and a pair of red heels. To complete the look, she wore a pair of green half-rim glasses with a thin chain around her neck so the glasses could hang there when she didn't need to wear them.

In all, the outfit wasn't something one would dare run in. Was she even their teacher? As soon as the group made eye contact she let out a shrill laugh.

 _"Aren't you all so CUTE!"_ She ran over to them in her high heels and eagerly shook everyone's hand. _"_ I'm your teacher, Miss Jung, not related to the esteemed psychologist Jung. _I am so pleased to work with you all!"_

After greeting every student as they came in and going over the customary teacher run down of the class, she directed them to the changing rooms where their new gym uniforms awaited them. When the class was finished hanging, the teacher led them further into the cavernous gymnasium, next to a small oval track.

"Now today is important! Can anyone tell me why?"

"Because it's our first day of classes?" Morgan, a student with a strawberry blond pixie cut, suggested.

"Nope!"

This time, Pey had her hand up. "It's like… placement day? See where we are and stuff?"

"Hmm… Well, yes. I was going to say that this is the first day of hell! We here at NABSTI are going to work you to the bone!" Another shrill laugh came out of her. "But really, this class is tough by design. No individual should have this easy, that being said, everyone's version of hard is different. We tailor to the individual to make sure yadda yadda yadda you know the rest, right kids?"

No one moved. Jung was… a lot to take in. Like a really eccentric office clerk trying to joke with a younger person.

"Well first things first, a race. Then, punching bag stamina test. Oh and to finish off the class, everyone can fight me! All at once!"

Once again, everyone was speechless.

Felix looked nervously towards his friends. "I don't wanna hit a lady."

"Then she's gonna hit you." Pey whispered back.

Vinny snorted, "Felix, you've got no idea how often my mother and sister have used that sorta attitude to their advantage. I don't even wanna know how many guys they've ice- I mean- Um...Beat up. Yeah."

Pey and Felix stared at Vinny with wide eyes. Before an awkward silence could settle over their little group, Altera was quick to throw in her opinion of their newest instructor.

"Hm...I must agree with Pey-Child. Ms. Jung would not be teaching this class if she was not capable of completing the curriculum herself."

Eventually, the class was divided into random groups of four. The four members would line up at the start of the track, and Jung and a few volunteers would time their run using stopwatches.

When the running was said and done, the class looked over the results. Everyone was interested in seeing who was the fastest among them.

Sakim, a boy whose legs were blades from the knee down, and Elizabeth were of the fastest in the class, and following their times were the more fit students. Pey was tied with Makana, the slime girl, putting them both in dead last. Felix was decently high up in sixth place. Altera was eleventh, her short stature couldn't do much to help, but her Room definitely did. Vinny had placed in eighth after he'd copied Areia's Talent 'Platformer' and slid down a frictionless platform to the finish. Unfortunately for him, it was a little harder than anticipated and he slipped off. That in turn made him loose focus and he had to run the rest of the way.

Before the class could catch their breath, the punching bag showdown had begun. It was simple: try your best to destroy the punching bag.

Once again, Elizabeth and Sakim did great. It had never been said that they had to punch the bag...Their Talents made quick work of the punching bags...a few slashes and their red opponents were torn to bits.

Actually, there was a clear divide between those who could destroy it or not. Those who could had Talents that made it pretty easy verses the others who would just have to punch it and fail.

Altera's Room encased the bright red foe, before she changed the rule to 'Punching bags are not allowed in the Room'. The bag thus went flying, until it slammed into the far wall. Not bothering to use his Quirk, Vinny did a pretty impressive job. It didn't break apart of course, but the class began to pick up on the idea that Vinny was not to be messed with. Felix had only punched his once, but it had been enough. A single thread snapped causing the apparently spider-infested punching bag to spill its contents. Spiders. Everywhere.

It was later revealed that Pey also had spiders in hers.

"Handsome…" Altera said, regarding the wriggling mass of black, possibly venomous, spiders (judging by the red hourglass designs) quickly dispersing across the floor, "This one finds your Talent most unsettling."

Grand Theft and Pey were inclined to agree as they stood close by in Altera's expanded Room (Rule: Spiders are not allowed).

* * *

When the corpses of fallen punching bags had been cleared, thirty two adolescents stood staring warily at the woman before them.

"Okay kids, are you all ready for the final event? Starting now, you may all fight me."

Nobody made the effort. It seemed like a trap, and some of them were tired.

Jangso Jung pouted at all the bank stares she was receiving. Surely they hadn't all been tired out by that? It was only a little run and some punching! Of course, these were teens...and the manual she'd been given said that children were more likely to cooperate if given incentive. Stickers, playtime, and candy were all common examples, the book had said.

"Oh don't be like that! How about this, if you all come and attack when I say 'go', I'll treat you all to ice cream! Doesn't that sound grand? We have to grade you all, and I'd hate to fail you kids~!"

At this, something like a rocket shot out from the crowd of students. Hanabi struck first. Her Talent, Fireworks, allowed her to shoot fireworks from certain points on her body, and boy could they go fast.

Like a gun signalling a race, all hell broke loose. They were all generally thinking the same thing: _I have to get good marks, its now or never._ Right before the rocket landed, several people cried out when somehow, Pey was where the teacher had once been.

 _'Weird, wasn't she over here? There's no way she…'_ Before Vinny could finish the thought, he turned to where Pey had once stood. Standing there, next to Altera, was the teacher.

"Oh, I feel bad for doing that to Pey, especially after she helped me kick this whole fight off! So kiddos…" She shifted into a fighting stance. "Come get some!"

"Well uhh... good luck ma'am!" The farmer boy wasn't sure how to react to this, except to be polite… Would it be okay to punch her if she attacked first?

Felix got a heel to the forehead. Luckily for him, (or perhaps _unluckily_ for her) her other heel broke as she was kicking, weakening the strength she had in the attack.

"There are no teachers allowed in the Room!" Altera commanded. As the box expanded, the teacher disappeared, and instead was Piro in the midst of a flame blast. The Rule of the Room automatically changed to protect Altera, snuffing out Piro's fire, as well as Hanabi's fireworks when the box reached her.

Back in the main brawl, students had begun an all out fight on each other. It was mass confusion. Now that the teacher could be seen in it, they at least had a unified goal again. That didn't mean that it was any easier. Hickory and Shard attempted to use a pincer movement to corner the woman, but it resulted in them grabbing Mercy instead. Lee's limbs were tangled in Makana's, making a knot of arms, legs, and slime. Sakim and Liz both bore scratches from the other, and the rest of the class bore cuts and bruises from other forms of friendly fire.

At one point, Vinny managed to land a hit, but the woman replaced herself with Morgan before Vinny could get her a second time. Instead, it was Morgan's face that Vinny hit. In response, a cloud of pink dust exploded in his face, and the little gangster suddenly found himself uncontrollably angry, lashing out at anyone and everyone around him.

Shard sent a handful of glass shards at the teacher, but she gracefully ducked under them and managed to swipe his feet out from under him at the same time. Before he could get up again, she jumped over him and replaced herself with a muscular boy named Minties. Minties rapidly apologized as he rushed to get off the other boy, picking Shard up and placing him on his feet.

Long story short, by the end of the class, everyone was beaten to a pulp.

"Good job, I'm impressed! You all used amateur tactics, well, most of you. Some here clearly had experience… _whether that's good or not._ The ice cream is in the caf, three dollars for a cone in most of the shops."

The student voice complained and groaned.

Ms. Jung tittered in amusement, "Oh come now, kiddies. You didn't really think I was going to buy all of you ice cream, right? Not on my salary."

"Pey-child, you did not tell this one that you were in cahoots with the lady."

Pey, who was on the grass ready to cry from her light injuries nodded. "Ya… she asked me during my elective… just came in and told me to lend her a hand…" Her tears were a sign of regret in that decision.

Grand Theft poked and lightly smacked Felix, who still laid on the ground, unconscious.

* * *

 _ **Hey guys! Chapter three is finally out! One more to go and we'll be alll done with the first day of school and things will REALLY get started!**_

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	4. Bonding

After a quick trip to see a nurse (for the growing lump on Felix's head) the quartet, and the large number of classmates that had followed them, made their way back to their residence hall.

"I still don't get how you know where we're going." Grand Theft muttered at the shortest member of their group. Bright green eyes scanned the hall for some sign that it was different from every other hall they'd walked through.

Altera turned mismatched eyes towards the boy, expression thoughtful, "This one doesn't necessarily...know...either."

Grand Theft let out an annoyed sigh, "Of course you don't."

Turning the last corner, the class was greeted with the sight of their homeroom teacher, Ms. Kindle, leaning against the doorway to their hall. The feline-featured woman smiled cheerfully at her students.

"Welcome back! How was the first day?"

Thirty two awkward teenagers shifted from foot to foot, mumbling vague answers. None were willing to be the first to offer up a definitive response.

Eventually, however, a single hand shot up and a cheerful voice declared: "This one does _not_ like spiders."

A short pause followed before Felix responded in an exasperated tone, "Dagnabbit! How many times do I have to say I'm sorry 'bout the spiders! 'Sides...it coulda been worse. Like scorpions. Or earwigs."

There was a unified shudder throughout the gathering of ninth graders.

"It...sounds like you've all had an...eventful day then…?" She tilted her head and looked over the group, before giving a little shrug and continuing on, "Anyways! As its only the first day of school, and none of you have joined any of the extracurricular activities we offer here at NABSTI, I thought it might be fun if I took you guys out of the school and showed you around the 'city'!"

At this the gathering of students all began speaking at once.

"I didn't think they'd let us out so soon!"

"I ain't so good in cities. My family and I don't leave town that often…"

"...Wonder if there are any gangs in the area..."

"Oohhhhh! Maybe I'll run into mom!"

"Can I just stay in my room?"

"Can we go shopping?"

Ms. Kindle let them chatter away for a few more moments before clapping her paw-like hands. Their (mostly) excited attention focused back on her.

"Alright everyone! Get dressed in something a bit warmer and bring some spending money if you want."

At that, she stepped aside so they could enter their hallway, and the small mob of teens rushed forward to get their coats and cash.

* * *

The coffee maker on the counter was working tirelessly to provide the growing number of people with their caffeine fix. Several people were already seated at one of the large tables set up around the room.

On any other day of the school year, these people would be more focused on marking the homework their students had handed in, rather than the animated discussions they were currently engaged in.

"It was the cutest thing! I honestly think they were trying to kill me!" Jangso snickered as she sat down in a comfortable chair next to one of her coworkers.

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaase tell me you didn't tell them to all rush you at once. Not again…" Harmony Bose groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "You already sent like...twenty students to the nurses this morning."

"Well it's hardly my fault they came at me with the intent to kill. They needed to learn to be careful with their Talents. That's all."

Across the table from the two women, a golden skinned man sipped from a coffee mug, "Jangso, dear...we all know you're a sadist."

They group was joined by a tired-looking Donith, who sat with two mugs of coffee in front of him. Harmony, Jangso and Len all shot him concerned and confused looks.

"The Alterror."

"Aahh," Jangso and Len both said, nodding.

Harmony looked between the three, more confused than ever. In a voice composed of a thousand whispers she asked, "What?"

"Altera Law. I don't know how long I'm gonna be able to handle her and her friends...I've only spoken to the kid twice and I'm done."

"She is a little...odd." Jangso agreed.

"Math in the art classroom. A travesty if ever I've seen one."

In response to the golden man's words, Donith pulled out his cellphone and pulled up a picture of Altera's desk, "She decided to decorate her desk during math class."

Len took a brief glance at the picture before snapping his attention fully on the rather admirable recreation of the Mona Lisa.

"She...did this in an hour and a half?"

"Bit less...but yeah."

"Damn," the art teacher said, but it was clear from his tone that he was impressed, "That's actually rather unexpected from her...although, not as unexpected as Parrino- he's quite skilled."

He took a long sip from his mug and then set it back on the table. Adjusting one of the gloves on his hands, he turned his gaze downwards, looking somewhat ashamed of himself, "I must admit that I was rather...narrow-minded in my expectations of the boy. I expected someone more...nefarious than he. It is only the first day of classes, and we should most probably be wary of him, given his upbringing...but I suspect he is not quite as bad as we might have assumed."

Several of the people in the room shifted uncomfortably in their seats. It was common knowledge that none of the teachers had been particularly enthusiastic about the boy's attendance.

Harmony was quick to fill the silence, "So...What do you guys think of Skarpson? I'd forgotten they had a son until I saw this year's class list."

"He's a bit...antagonistic, if I'm being completely honest…"

Again, the staff awkwardly nodded. None of them were willing to speak badly about the boy, given what his family had accomplished over the years...but they really couldn't deny that Shard was rather...quick to challenge his peers to physical altercations.

* * *

"So...this area here is mostly residential. The people who live here are either Pro Heroes, staff at the school, or they work in different parts of the city to keep things running around here." Kindle said as she gestured to the towering buildings around them.

The students, for the most part, seemed disinterested in the neighbourhood. They wanted to see exciting things! Pro Heroes or not...looking at a bunch of apartments wasn't really 'wow' enough.

Eventually, the mob found its way into an area more interesting: 'downtown'. Just as much as NABSTI was a city, it had stores and tourist spots… if one would call them that. As soon as the children saw the mall, there was no going back.

Before they students dispersed like the rats in Ratatouille, Kindle managed to holler, "Return here in two hours. If I find that even one of you are missing, I'll have to get a search party~!"

Naturally, the quartet bound together. "So… you guys have money? I don't think I have enough for anything here… maybe I'll get something at Ice Topics…"

Altera fiddled with a small white leather wallet, looking down at it with a concerned expression as she unzipped it, "This one only has several thousand on her...that is enough to purchase items from this 'Ice Topics'...yes?"

With wide green eyes, Grand Theft quickly grabbed her hands and wrapped them around the wallet, "Holy shit! Don't go saying that out loud in a fricken' mall! All ya need is one shady character to hear that and they'll all have ya marked."

"Heh, yeah I'll take you up on that when I know I can pay you back. I'd hate to be in your debt…"

"Well I ain't too sure what this fancy 'mall' is all about but if it's anythin' like a general store then I'd sure love a new pair of boots! These ones got a hole, something nasty I tell ya."

Sure enough, his big toe managed to wiggle out from where the sole and the leather should be bound. He brought those to Canada… Nunavut...

"Ya know those aren't the greatest things to be wearin' out in this sorta place...right?" Grand Theft questioned, looking first at Felix's worn leather boots, and then down to the winter boots he had bought specifically for when he'd have to go outside the school.

No one mentioned the fact that Altera was currently wandering around in flip-flops. It might be the first day of classes but they were quickly understanding that Altera was an exception.

"Well, 'Grand Theft', how about you? Any place you wanna hit up?" Pey asked while counting the money in her quite hefty coin purse.

"Uh…" he trailed off for a moment, trying to think of anything he might need, before he seemed to brighten, "Yo you think they got a gun store around here?"

The quartet paused, unsure whether or not the NABSTI would have something like a gun store. After all, heroes DID use weapons...but...did Canada even have guns?

"I do not think there is such an establishment here, Thief of Quirks."

"Yeah… it's a mall… wouldn't that like, ruin the mood of the place?" Pey added in, eyeing the nearest makeup store. "Well I know where _I'm_ heading. Gonna get me a facemask. See ya." And she fell asleep.

"Yo Felix...uh...you're a gentleman or some shit like that, right? You wanna watch her?"

"Not really?"

"Eh. We tried. Meet here in like...an hour?"

"I think that is agreeable. I am sure no one will be rude enough to step on the Pey-child. We are all heroes here."

And with that, the three conscious members of their strange little group split up and made their way towards the stores of their choosing.

* * *

Lucy Kindle rushed into the room, quickly closing the door behind her, "Sorry I'm late everyone! I was showing my class around town and I lost track of time!"

The first of her coworkers to speak was a dark haired woman, "Ah! Lucy. We were just talking about your class! What do you think about them? Anyone with potential?"

A grin appeared on Lucy's face, "Oh it's such a good year! There are a couple kids who I think could be great additions!"

"Really?"

"Of course! There's one boy, Shard? His family are well-known heroes in both Canada and the United States, and I can already tell his Talent will grow with him. From what I've seen he'll need a bit of an attitude adjustment though. It's only the first day and he's already gotten into all sorts of fights. Especially with the Parrino Boy."

"I'd heard a rumour one of them was coming to NABSTI, but I didn't think it was true...Does the kid fit in alright?"

Lucy's grin gave way to a warm, caring smile, "He's made a few interesting friends already."

"Oh?" One of her male coworkers asked.

"Welllllll...there's Altera Law- her father made some of the barriers around here...you know for the training grounds and things? Her Talent is...a bit different from his. She's described herself as 'a god in a box'...whatever that means. I believe she can control what happens within a barrier? Something like that. Then there's Pey Devi- I believe she can possess others?"

"Useful."

"That's what I thought! The last one is a nice boy named Felix Cloverfield. He said that his Quirk was 'Bad Luck'...but I'm not entirely sure what that would encompass exactly…"

"Bad luck to himself, or others?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

* * *

Grand Theft, having finished his (fruitless) search through the mall, had continued to wander around the building. He moved with a certain casual air around him that made it easy for people to not notice him. Perfect for casing places, or watching people.

In this case he was observing his classmates and future comrades.

He had first spotted 'Mercy', Marina and Makana making their way into _Aria Dean's._ They made a bee-line for the selection of stylish sweatshirts. Marina and Makana were both from tropical islands, so it was likely neither girl had been fully prepared for just how cold it was in Nunavut. Mercy seemed to know what she was doing and was writing out a list of things the other girls would need for the climate.

Continuing his walk through the building, he next came across Minties and another boy- Hugo. Hugo, whose Talent was called 'Microscopic' and gave him the ability to shrink, had shrunken down to the size of a toddler and was perched upon Minties' shoulders. The pair were animatedly chatting about Pro Heroes from their home countries as they made their way towards a _Scrolls_ bookstore.

Minties was surprisingly buff considering his Talent was Telepathy, and had little to do with physical activity. He had wavy dark brown hair that was brushed back from his forehead, but not held there with gel or any other sort of product. His eyes were a pale grey, and from what Grand Theft could see, there was nothing out of the ordinary about them.

Hugo had dark skin and straight, pale pink (nearly white) hair parted on the right, which clashed with his electric blue eyes.

Grand Theft didn't have much longer to observe the pair before he heard an obnoxious (in his opinion) voice talking animatedly further down the wing of the mall he stood in. A quick glance around revealed Shard and his three companions making their way towards him.

Now, Vincenzo was no coward, but he was smart at times. If there was a conflict here, in a public place, the blame would naturally fall on him, given his family's reputation. It was the first day of classes, and while he was sure his father would find some way to keep him in NABSTI, the teen would much rather _not_ getting kicked out on the first day.

Spinning on his heel, Grand Theft traced his footsteps and wound up back where he and his...friends(?) had split up. Pey was still on the floor where they'd left her, and it appeared as though Altera had found Felix while they were gone, and was clinging to the taller boy's back in an impressive impression of a koala.

"Hey Vinny! You find what you were lookin' fer?"

The dead look Grand Theft shot him was clear enough that even Felix understood.

A middle aged woman approached the group, wordlessly set down two bags next to Pey, turned around and left the gathering. When she was out of sight, Pey opened her eyes and sat up, "We all good to go now?"

"This one thinks leaving would be most prudent."

* * *

The quiet burble of conversations in the staff room soon became a rowdy din as more people filled the room. Teachers, secretaries, Proheroes, custodians and cafeteria staff all gathered around tables and sofas. Snacks were brought out more to keep mouths closed than to sate an appetite.

Mr. Clerici, a business teacher, was one of the first to steer the conversation away from students and onto more useless talk.

"Well, I finally got engaged. I hope it doesn't mean anything for my job…"

"OH CONGRATS! Luckily you should have about a year before marriage, right?" One of them said, forcing out as much interest as possible.

"God, by the time next year rolls around, I'm willing to bet half of those kids get their shit kicked in." Sneered another.

The chatter fell at the rude comment, if only for a moment.

"You know I think that Mercedes kid is gonna change career paths halfway through. Her talent is more of a 'support' kind of thing."

"Shard is gonna give a student a scar, I'd put 20 dollars down on that."

Betting on the lives of their students was frowned upon in every institution.

Donith stood up from his seat and approached one of the numerous whiteboards in the staff room, hastily writing up the bets already placed by his coworkers, before tossing in his own, "40 on the Alterror driving someone legally insane."

A good few minutes passed and the collection of adults found themselves staring at the whiteboard, now covered in bets, odds, and numerous likely (and unlikely) possibilities.

From one corner of the room, a voice quietly called out, "Does anyone want to bet one of them will die this year?"

Every head in the room slowly turned to stare at Kindle in disbelief. The feline-esque woman gave an embarrassed smile.

"Hm...perhaps on that note, we should call today's meeting to an end?" Harmony suggested, standing up from her seat to stretch out and grab her purse, "But I would like to put down 50 on that bet."

* * *

 _ **All the adults are awful role-models, honestly... Sorry for the wait, but chapter 4 has finally arrived! No promises when 5 will be out but we'll try to get it out a bit sooner next time? Let us know if you have any questions, thoughts or ideas!**_

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